Home > Ambiance at the Flick of a Switch: What Restaurant Lighting Says About Your Business

Ambiance at the Flick of a Switch: What Restaurant Lighting Says About Your Business

As a restauranteur, you know that apart from great food, ambiance is what attracts guests to your business. And when it comes to ambiance, restaurant lighting has a big role to play. In fact, the effect of lighting on the dining experience is so important that researchers have conducted scientific studies to figure out just what kinds of lighting design work well for the “feel-good factor.”

Bright or Dim, Cool or Warm

Fast food restaurants want their guests to experience “sensory arousal.” This makes them speed through the dining experience, freeing up a table for the next clients. Bright, quite harsh, cool light sets the scene.

Higher-end restaurants want the opposite. They want their guests to relax, take their time, and enjoy both the food and each other’s company. Dimmer, warmer light allows for an intimate and relaxed dining experience.

Getting the Angle Right

Perfecting ambiance involves more than just the brightness and tone of the light. Restaurant lighting design also looks at the angle of the light. For example, a backlit diner’s face will disappear into shadow, and the person’s shadow would fall on the menu and food, detracting from the dining experience. When perfecting restaurant lighting, you and your electrical professional must consider every table and every diner’s perspective.

We are Specialists in Restaurant Lighting

Lighting design is more complex than most people realize, but we enjoy working with our clients to perfect ambiance. Together we look at:

  • Intimate vs. bright lighting
  • The fine balance between dim and too dark
  • The best color of light
  • The angle of lighting
  • Lighting controls such as dimmers
  • Décor-related aspects

Are you starting a new restaurant in Lakeland, Florida? Perhaps you have a restaurant in need of a lighting design revamp? Talk to us. Together, we’ll find the ideal solutions.